Plutocrat from Pittsburgh

Slugger Dave Parker reigns as baseball's best-paid player

In the time before baseball's free-agent era, ,the loudest sounds of the off season came from the hot stove league, that long winter of "Remember when . . ." and "Who was it that . . . ?" Today such gentle ruminations have been all but drowned out by the ringing of cash registers, as players who have learned to measure the value of strong arms and big bats in the open market have begun renegotiating contracts.

This past winter more than half a dozen athletes joined the list of baseball millionaires. Like a medieval heir apparent, Pete Rose flashed his Prince Valiant haircut before a clutch of contending clubs, finally settling on the Philadelphia Phillies and their reported dowry of $3.5 million over four years. Former Minnesota Twins Star Rod Carew took his seven batting titles to the California Angels in exchange for some $4.5 million over five years. Boston Slugger Jim Rice, the American League's M.V.P. last season, agreed to a seven-year deal said to total $5.4 million and, in the process, earned Carl Yastrzemski an estimated $1.2 million worth of primogeniture for the remaining two years of his contract.

But the happiest millionaire must have been the Pittsburgh Pirates' Dave Parker. At 27, he owns the biggest contract in baseball (around $6 million for five years) and, by the admission of his peers, the gifts to go with it. He is, put sim ply, the best all-round player in baseball. Last year major league general managers voted him the player they would most like to have. Should such judgments seem too subjective for students of statistics, Parker can satisfy them as well: two straight National League batting championships (.338 in 1977 and .334 last season), consecutive Gold Glove Awards as the best rightfielder in the league and, last year, the Most Valuable Player award. Most eloquent testimony of all: Willie Stargell, 37, the Pirates' captain and home run leader, claimed no right to salary seniority `a la Yastrzemski when Parker's contract was announced. He came, instead, to the signing ceremony to applaud his teammate. In his 17th major league season, Stargell offered this long view on the young star: "Dave is the best in the game and he deserves to be paid the best. He's the kind of player who only comes along once every 20 or 30 years."

In the city where the late rightfielder Roberto Clemente became a mythic figure, that is quite a tribute. But Parker seems more than equal to the memories of Clemente. Despite his bulk (6 ft. 5 in., 230 Ibs.), his speed (100 yds. in 9.6 sec.) ranks him among the fastest in the major leagues, and he can throw screamers to the plate from the fence.

His tremendous physical talent notwithstanding, the graceful outfielder once battled fly balls as if they were his natural enemies. He forged a peace with hours of after-game practice and, with the same single-mindedness, learned to hit line drives. "People talk about the money I'm making, but I paid my dues," Parker says. "You don't get here without sacrifice, without playing ball eleven months a year for $500 in the minors and winter leagues. I may be a millionaire now, but there was a time when I couldn't pay my electric bill. One week all I had to live on was one package of instant mashed potatoes and five cans of pinto beans."

When he finally reached the big leagues in 1973, he quickly served notice that an irresistible force had arrived. Parker kept a detailed book on National League pitchers during his early years arid still logs hours of extra practice. Says Pirate Manager Chuck Tanner: "Sure he has the talent, but he's worked as hard as any man I've ever seen play this game to develop his ability. He's getting better every day and he hasn't even hit his prime yet. That's why five years from now, we'll look back on his M.V.P. season last year and say: 'That was just an ordinary Parker year.' "

When the new season got under way last week, the temperature trembled at a subfreezing 31DEG in Pittsburgh, and Parker was every bit as cold. While umpires picketed outside Three Rivers Stadium and other major league parks in pursuit of a pay raise, baseball's best-paid player struck out twice, had no hits in four at-bats and made a fielding error in a 3-2 Pirate loss. Still, Tanner was not about to eat his words. Parker himself was calmly philosophical. "There's 161 games to go," said he. "I think I can improve my average." You can bet on it.

Off the field, Parker's new status has brought problems. Ten days before the Pirates broke camp in Florida, his suburban home was broken into. He has received death threats laced with racial epithets. Parker is both puzzled and angry over such incidents: "I knew things would be different because of the contract. I expected to be under a magnifying glass. But I never expected this kind of thing. I don't know what will happen, but I do know that I've got to sleep in my home without fear; I've got to know that when I go home my house will be there. The only way I can fight back is by playing as hard as I can. Maybe then, people will appreciate who I am and what I've accomplished."

Pirate Third Baseman Phil Garner, clubhouse Mutt to Parker's Jeff, reflected on his friend's good fortune and the trials that lie ahead: "It isn't going to be easy for Dave. He's a very private person for all his clubhouse clowning, and some of the things that happened have hurt him. But he's still got one very big weapon: he's the best player in the world."

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